Trussless roof construction



July 22,1941. J. F. BLASKI TRUSSLESS ROOF CONSTRUCTION Filed Feb. 5,1940 2 Sheets-Sheet l July 22, 1941. J. F. BLASKI TRUSSLESS ROOFCONSTRUCTION Filed Feb. 5, 1940 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented July 22, 194iuNrrEn sm'rssrarsur OFFICE ra'osstnss RooF CONSTRUCTION John F. Blaski,Chicago, 111.

Application February 5, 1940, Serial No. 317,294

8 Claims.

My invention relates to a roof construction of the dome or conical type,

It is an object of my invention to provide an improved roof constructionof this type which is trussless and requires no support, other than thesupport on which it rests, either inside or outside the roof forsustaining it.

It is another object of my invention to provide an improved roofconstruction of this type which may be built with the use of inexpensivematerial and which will be substantially smooth on both its inside andoutside.

It is a further object of my invention to provide an improved roofconstruction of this type which comprises a plurality of buildingmembers that may be easily preformed or prefabricated and assembled onthe job to form the construction.

It is also an object of my invention to provide an improved roofconstruction of this type in which the building members thereof are laidin courses and in which reinforcing rods extend through the membersbetween thebottom and the top of the room to form a roof constructionwhich is capable of withstanding appreciable internal stresses due toits own weight and snow and wind loads thereon with the membersremaining substantially unchanged in their respective positions.

It is still a further object of my invention to provide an improved roofconstruction of this type which is provided with auxiliaryreinforcingmeans for withstanding tensional stresses in the construction wherebythe construction may be made principally of building members of amaterial which in itself is incapable of withstanding great tensionalstresses.

The invention consists of the novel constructions, arrangements anddevices to be hereinafter described and claimed for carrying out theabove stated objects and such other objects as will appear from thefollowing description of certain preferred embodiments thereofillustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein Fig. 1 is a verticalcross sectional view of a roof construction embodying the principles ofmy invention;

Fig. 2 is a horizontal sectional view of the construction taken on line2-2 of Fig. l

Fig. 3 is an elevational View of a portion of the roof constructiontaken on an enlarged scale;

Fig. 4 is a horizontal sectional View taken on line 4-4 of Fig. 3; I

Fig. 5 is a vertical sectional view taken on line 5-5 of Fig. 3;

structure being shown for convenience of illustration;

Fig. 7 is a horizontal sectional view taken on line 'l-'l of Fig. 6; and

Fig. 8 is a vertical sectional view taken on line I s s of Fig. 6. 1o

Like characters of reference designate like parts in the several views.

Referring to Figs. 1 and 2, the building construction id is in the formof a dome and is supported by the side walls I l of a building as shown.The roof construction comprises a plurality of building members i2 laidend to end in courses. The building members i2 are substantially in theform of rectangular parallelepipedons and may .be wood planks ofsuitable cross sectional size cut into short lengths. The courses are inthe form of loops which in the embodiment illustrated are circular. Aswill be seen in Fig. 1, the bottom courses of the roof between thepoints i3 and M have substantially the same diameter, and the roofconstruction between these points therefore rises substantiallyvertically. The courses of building members above point l4 graduallydecrease in diameter toward the top of the roof, and the roof extendstherefore toward the center assuming a dome-like form. The uppermostcourse i5 is located at some distance from the center of the roofstructure and a central opening 5 is thereby left in the structure. Theopening l6 may be closed by any suitable means such as a skylight or thelike.

Each of the building members 12 in the roof structure is disposed sothat its opposing loadbearing sides, that is to say the sides ll and I8indicated in Figs. 1 and 3, which are those sides of the member next tothe members of adjacent courses, are located at substantially rightangles to the pitch line of the roof at the particular member. The pitchline of the roof is that line indicating the inclination of the roof andis substantially tangential to the general contour of the roof. Forexample, at the particular member l3 shown in Fig. l, the faces H and 18of the member are substantially at right angles to the pitch line 20 ofthe roof at that portion of the roof.

Tie rods 2| extend from the bottom to the top of the roof structure asshown in Fig. 1. The rods are anchored at 22a to the side walls ll ofthe building. As will be readily understood, the

-tie rods 2| function to tie the building members I2 in adjacent coursestogether. The longitudinal axes of the rods are substantially coincidentto the pitch line of the roof and are at substantially right angles tothe opposing load-bearing faces of the members at such members.

As will be seen in Fig. 3, the building members l2 are so laid in theirrespective courses that the joints 2la between the members in each ofthe courses are staggered relative to the joints between the members inadjacent courses. Each of the members l2 have two tie rods 2| extend-ring therethrough; for example, the building member 22 has the tie rodsZ3-and 24- extending therethrough; the building member 25 has the tierods 23 and 2% extending therethrough; and the building member 2'! hasthe tie rods 24 and 28 extending therethrough. With this constructionthe tie rods 23 and 24 are held from spreading by'the building member22. Since the tie rods23 and 24 pass also through the building members25 and 21 it is apparent that tensional stressesin the roof constructiontending to pull members 25 and 21 apart are not effective in doing so asthe tie rods 23and 24 are held against spreading movement, Each of thebuilding members I2 in the respective courses in the roof constructionare similarly held from separating from the building members at each endthereof.

With my improved roof construction in which the joints between themembers in each course are staggered with respect to the joints betweenmembers in adjacent courses and in which each of the building membershas at least two tie rods passing therethrough, I have provided aconstruction which is effectively resistant to tensional stressestherein that-may be caused by the weight of the building members in theconstruction as well as by snow, wind and other loads on theconstruction and which tend to pull the building members apart andincrease the diameters of the loop courses. As is well known by thosefamiliar with such structures, the upper part of a domed roof structuretends to fall in and force out the lower part and there is a tendency tocompress each member longitudinally of the member in the upper part ofthe roof structure and to expand each member longitudinally of themember in the lower part of the roof structure. I have found that withthe members l2 so disposed in the roof construction that their opposedload-bearing faces are substantially at right angles to the pitch linesof the roof at the particular members, a domed roof construction ofgreat strength is obtained and without any truss-like support.

As best shown in Fig. 5, each of the tie rods 2| comprises a pluralityof rod sections 29'having their ends threaded and connected together bymeans of threaded nipples 30. As is shown in Fig. 1, the uppermostcourse l5 of the building members is held in proper position by means ofnuts 3| which are screwed on to the threaded ends of the uppermost ofthe rod sections 29.

My improved dome-like roof construction is built by first putting thelowermost courses, of-

building members l2 in position on the lowermost rod sections29'whichare anchored in the side walls I I. of the building. Thenanother length of rod sections 29 is connected to the lowermost rodsections by means of the threaded nipples. Other higher courses ofbuilding membersmay thenvbe put into position on the second length ofrod sections. Whenthe courses ofthe buildingmernbers reach the upperends of the second lengthof rod sections the procedure may be;

repeated and when the last course of building members is in position thenuts on the rods are turned down tight. It is apparent that with the useof tie rods comprising the sections 29 and connectors 30 my improveddomed roof may be easily constructed.

It will be readily understood that the building members 12 are cut intosuitable lengths and are provided with openings therethrough forreceiving the tie rods 2| before the roof construction is started. Sincethe upperv courses of the building members have smaller diameters andtherefore smaller circumferences than the lower courses, the individualbuilding members 12 in the upper courses are of shorter length than thebuilding members in the lower courses. It is apparent that if the roofconstruction is such that the building members I2 in the upper coursesbecome of too short a length, only a fraction of the number of tie rods21 anchored inthe side walls H may be extended completely to the top ofthe roof structure; for example, every second tie rod 2| maybe extendedto the top' course 15 while the tie rods therebetween may be extendedonly a portion of the way to the top of the roof construction. With sucha construction the building members l2 in the upper courses beyond theends of the short tie rods, with each member being adapted to receivetwo tie rods, wouldbe just twice the length they would be if all of thetie rods anchoredin the side walls were extended to theuppermost courseThe embodiment of my improved roof construction shown in Fig, 6 isparticularly adapted for the use of building members 32 of concrete,gypsum or other precast material, preferably of a cellular nature forinsulation purposes, which in itself can resist only small tensionalstresses.

Between the courses of building members,32 are positioned metal bars 33,each having two openings for, the passage of tie rods, 2| therethrough.Each of the bars 33acts to prevent adjacent tie rods 2| from spreading.Each of the building members 32, like the building members l2 heretoforedescribed, have two openings for the passage of two. tie rodstherethrough. The bars 33 thusact as means additional'to the buildingmembers 32 for preventing the spreading of the tie rods 2|, and it isapparent that the tie rods2l cannot spread even though the members321canthemselves withstand little tensional stress.

Asshown in Fig. 8, the upper side of each of the building members 32,that is to say, the side of each member next. to the members 32 of anadjacent'upper course, comprises face portions 34, 35 and 36. The faceportions 35 form a ledge for the seating of the bars 33. The bottom oropposite side 3'!" of each of the members 32 bears against the membersin the course next below. The opposed load-bearing faces of. the members32' are. substantially at right angles to the pitch line of the roof atthe respective members. Such construction makes for great stability andstrength of the roof structure; and substantially only the inner sides38 of the building members are visible from the inside of the roof, thebars 33-being hidden on the ledges of the members.

It. is apparent that boththe inside and outside of my improvedconstructions are quite smooth and free of projections andthis isparticularly true with roof constructions of. large size built withbuilding members 12 or 32 of comparatively short length. The exteriorsurface of the roof may be treated with asphalt and gravel or coveredwith shingles or roofing paper to make it water-tight. My improved roofconstructions are self-supporting, and no unsightly and expensivetrusses are required on the inside. My roof structures as a whole may beinexpensively constructed and this is particularly true when wood planksof relatively short lengths are used. In fact, planks 3 or 4 feet inlength, too short for most building purposes, are well suited forbuilding my improved roofs. It is practical, therefore, to construct asound roof from old or used planks.

My improved roof structures are of such strength as to withstand heavysnow, wind or other loads thereon. The roof structures may be easilyerected, and if desired, be constructed of building members of gypsum,concrete or other precast materialhaving little inherent strength initself to withstand tensile stresses. When constructed of wood planks orof precast members of a cellular nature, the roofs afford substantialinsulation against heat or cold.

I do not intend to limit the invention to the details of constructionshown and described ex cept only insofar as certain of the appendedclaims are specifically so limited, as it will be obvious thatmodifications may be made without departing from the principles of theinvention.

I claim:

1. In a trussless roof of the dome or conical type, the combination of aplurality of building members laid end to end in courses with the jointsbetween members of one course staggered with respect to the jointsbetween members of adjacent courses, said courses being in the form ofloops which gradually decrease in size from the bottom portion of theroof to the top portion thereof, each of said members having itsopposing load-bearing sides disposed substantially at right angles tothe pitch line of the roof at the member, each of said members beingpreformed and substantially solid with their inner and outer facescoinciding with and forming portions of the respective inner and outersurfaces of the roof formed by said members, and means for holding eachof said members in its respective position in the roof.

2. In a trussless roof of the dome or conical type, the combination of aplurality of building members laid end to end in courses with the jointsbetween members of one course staggered with respect to the jointsbetween members of adjacent courses, said courses being in the form ofloops which gradually decrease in size from the bottom portion of theroof to the top portion thereof, each of said members having itsopposing load-bearing sides disposed substantially at right angles tothe pitch line of the roof at the member each of said members beingpreformed and substantially solid with their inner and outer facescoinciding with and forming portions of the respective inner and outersurfaces of the roof formed by said members, each of said members havingholes extending substantially parallel to said pitch line, and tie rodsextending through the holes in said members and between the bottom andtop of the roof for holding the members in their respective positions inthe roof.

3. In a trussless roof of the dome or conical type, the combination of aplurality of building members laid end to end in courses with the jointsbetween members of one course staggered with respect to the jointsbetween members of adja: cent courses, said courses being in the form ofloops which gradually decrease in size from the bottom portion of theroof to the top portion thereof, and a plurality of tie rods extendingthrough said members between the bottom and top of the roof for holdingthe members in their respective positions in the roof, each of said tierods comprising a plurality of rod sections and connecting means forholding the rod sections together, each of said members having itsopposing load-bearing sides disposed substantially at right angles tothe pitch line of the roof at the member, and each of said members beingpreformed and substantially solid with their inner and outer facescoinciding with and forming portions of the respective inner and outersurfaces of the roof formed by said members.

4. In a trussless roof of the dome or conical type, the combination of aplurality of building members laid end to end in courses with the jointsbetween members of one course staggered with respect to the jointsbetween members of adjacent courses, said courses being in the form ofloops which gradually decrease in size from the bottom portion of theroof to the top portion thereof, a plurality of tie rods extendingthrough said members between the bottom and top of the roof for holdingthe members in their respective positions in the roof, and a pluralityof bars between said courses and connecting adjacent tie rods forholding the rods from spreading, each of said members being preformedand substantially solid with their inner and outer faces coinciding withand forming portions of the respective inner and outer surfaces of theroof formed by said members.

5. In a trussless roof of the dome or conical type, the combination of aplurality of building members laid end to end in courses with the jointsbetween members of one course staggered with respect to the jointsbetween members of adjacent courses, said courses being in the form ofloops which gradually decrease in size from the bottom portion of theroof to the top portion thereof, a plurality of tie rods extendingthrough each of said members between the bottom and top of the roof forholding the members in their respective positions in the roof, and aplurality of bars between said courses and connecting adjacent tie rodsfor holding the rods from spreading, each of said members having itsopposing load-bearing sides disposed substantially at right angles tothe pitch line of the roof at the member, and each of said members beingpreformed and substantially solid with their inner and outer facescoinciding with and forming portions of the respective inner and outersurfaces of the roof formed by said members.

6. In a trussless roof of the dome or conical type, the combination of aplurality of building members laid end to end in courses with the jointsbetween members of one course staggered with respect to the jointsbetween members of adjacent courses, said courses being in the form ofloops which gradually decrease in size from the bottom portion of theroof to the top portion thereof, a plurality of tie rods extendingthrough said members between the bottom and the top of the roof forholding the members in their respective positions in the roof, each ofsaid members on one of its opposing load-bearing sides section, thecombination of a plurality of build-' ing members laid end to end incourses with the joints between members of one course staggered withrespect to the joints between members of adjacent courses, said coursesbeing in the form of arcs the radii of which gradually decrease from thebottom portion of the roof section to the top portion thereof, each ofsaid members having its opposing load-bearing sides disposedsubstantially at right angles to the pitch line of the roof section atthe member, each of said members being preformed and substantially solidwith their inner and outer faces coinciding with and forming portions ofthe respective inner and outer surfaces of the roof formed by saidmembers, and means for holding each of said members in its respectiveposition in the roof section.

8. In a trussless domed or conical shaped roof section, the combinationof a plurality of building members laid end to end in courses with thejoints between members of one course staggered with respect to thejoints between members of adjacent courses, said courses being in theform of arcs the radii of which gradually decrease from the bottomportion of the roof section to the top portion thereof, each of saidmembers having its opposing load-bearing sides disposed substantially atright angles to the pitch line of the spective positions in the roofroof section at the member, each of said members being preformed andsubstantially solid with their inner and outer faces coinciding with andforming portions of the respective inner and outer surfaces of the roofformed by said members, each of said members having holes extendingsubstantially parallel to the pitch line, and a plurality of tie rodsextending through the holes of said members between the bottom and topof'the roof section for holding the members in their resection.

JOHN F. BLASKI.

